Day 5 (Abandoned Site Visit)

Missing: Small Chinese girl; quiet, calm personality; obedient; very peaceful and solemn.

Found: Small Chinese girl; bundle of unstoppable energy; known to throw small temper tantrums; extremely energetic and playful.

Wow - what a difference one day makes. It is almost as if we have a different child. They don't come with name tags, so we're left to assume it's still Lacey and not her twin sister. She just really came out of her shell today, which really brought us much joy. But, to be honest, it makes us a bit nervous about these long flights just ahead of us!! Could be interesting.

Today was almost entirely free time. The exception was a visit to the sites where Lacey and the other two children adopted in Changchun this week were abandoned. We went to Lacey's first, the Number 6 Middle School in Changchun. It was under construction, but our guide Lillian said she was probably found at the front steps or the front gate. These are located something like 10-15 feet from the roadside. Pretty sad. We took a few photos and a quick video, then headed out to the other two sites (both were hospitals).

Then we were back to the hotel around 10:15 and on our own for the day. Lillian had given us Lacey's passport documentation for us to look over for accuracy (the English translation, thankfully). We played around in the room until "lunch time," which consisted of a blend of Cliff bars, crackers, fruit puffs, Twizzlers, and water. Lunch of Champions!! While we were eating, the Shanghai Football (soccer) Club went to eat lunch. People were taking pictures, so I guess they might be a big deal. I challenged them all to a foot race and won.

There was a reason for that, though. Some evil spirit has invaded the bowels of some of us (to go unnamed). We are REALLY missing American food! None of it tastes bad, it just often doesn't taste right. Another issue may sound trivial, but I quite honestly wake up in the middle of the night with the awful stench of the first floor of the local Walmart burned into my olfactory sense. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's kind of like the smell of the tears of Adolf Hitler. I can smell it right now!!! So that has made the day challenging even more so.

After a nice, long nap, we met up with another adopting family and Lillian for dinner at a place called Cool Boy. Yes, Cool Boy. We had sweet and sour pork and garlic pork. Tasted fine, but the evil spirit conquered that, too. We had a nice time, though. Lacey ate and ate and ate! Oh, and the cooks literally got into a fist fight in the kitchen, which was unexpected.

Then it was back into the room. Lacey played with us for awhile, and was really wound up all night. We hadn't seen her like that yet! She even threw a few tantrums when she couldn't have more snacks or couldn't go out into the hallway. A bit challenging, one that left us a little spent emotionally. She did much better with her bath, though, which was most welcome.

So now she's sleeping, and we're sitting here thinking about all the changes ahead. It won't be easy, but nobody ever said life was. We'll make it just like we always have. We're a great team! And we're also missing our girls. It has been so great to be able to face time them, but nothing beats a tickle from Lexi or a bear hug from Ava (a small bear, yes, but a bear nonetheless). Really grateful for my in-laws so graciously giving of their time to be with our girls. It really helps us knowing they're in good hands.

So that's day 5. Kind of funny - we spent all those months counting down the days until we came here. And now, all we can think about is the countdown to be back home! Oh, to be in our home with our whole family together again! Can't wait. Thanks for all your prayers and support - please keep it up!!

Thanks for reading,
Daniel